Getting More Uber Riders to Recover Lost Items Through the In-App Flow

Uber's rider app has a lost-item feature: a rider who left something behind in a car, such as a phone, wallet or bag, can open the trip, report the item and try to arrange its return with the driver. You are the product manager who owns this feature. How would you increase its usage? ```hint Define usage before growing it Riders only reach for this feature after something has already gone wrong. Decide whose behavior you want to change and what outcome should count as the feature doing its job before you list ideas. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should success mean more riders starting a lost-item report, or more lost belongings actually getting back to their owners? - Is the scope limited to the rider app, or can the solution change what drivers see and do when they find an item or are contacted about one? - Are missing items from food or grocery deliveries in scope, or only belongings left behind during rides? - Can the economics of a return change, such as what the rider pays and what the driver earns for bringing the item back, or are they fixed? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal that ties "usage" to belongings actually recovered and to rider trust, with a clear position on whether fewer lost items would count as a win - Rider segments by situation (lost phone versus other items, noticed right away versus days later, airport or travel trips), with one chosen and justified - Pain points across the whole journey: noticing the loss, finding the feature, reaching the driver and arranging the handoff, including the driver's incentives and safety - Prioritized solutions with impact and effort reasoning, including at least one change on the driver side - Success metrics with guardrails for driver burden, privacy, false claims and support cost ### Follow-up Questions - Suppose the lost item is the rider's phone, so they cannot open the app. How does your design serve that rider? - If lost-item reports double but the share of items returned stays flat, what would you conclude and what would you change next? - How would you stop people from abusing the flow to obtain a driver's contact details or to file false claims?